hey so i just wanna know if plasma does each of these things,

and if it does any of these things better, how exactly is it doing it better?

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the overall goal is just this,

going to fully test the best distro. going to do a dual-install with win10.

need well thought out recommendations. im going to pick the one that has the most detailed outline/explanation

im looking for an os that has better design than win10
the #1 thing im looking for is good design


=== full details / summary of design requirements sorted/ranked by relative importance: ===

if some of these are done by a 'DE', please just helpfully mention based on your personal experience which 'DE' does what
and is most helpful for these few things below


**good design is helpful**

clean visible effective way of switching windows -

in win10, when you switch windows (say 10 chrome windows) it shows:
1. the title (very clearly)
2. and an overview/screenshot of the window
icon of software is not important but haven't tested without

linux needs do something equal or more helpful than this
good design is helpful & clear


**good design is in-built & good defaults**

easy simple effective volume control -

in win10, when you hover to the bottom, you can up/increase/down/decreaee the volume via the scroll wheel. this is universal anywhere like when fullscreen on youtube
this is an external software

linux needs do something equal or in-built, or more helpful than this
good design is good defaults


**good design is having customisable options when lacking good defaults**

change all frequently used shortcuts/hotkeys -

linux has to able to change the 'default/in-built' shortcuts like for fullscreen. f11 is not easily accessible or usable, and is not on the left side of the keyboard
good design is having customisable options when lacking good defaults


**good design includes everything learned & known about good spatial design - presentation of info**

good spatial usage of screen space -

in win10, 'the bar thing at the bottom of the screen with the software icons' can auto-hide. when hovered over, the 'bar thing' would show

linux has to do something equal or better or more helpful
good design includes everything learned & known about good spatial design - presentation of info


**good design is good usability**

easy simple way to download -

in win10,
1. you google something, 2. you click on link, 3. then click download, 4. done

linux needs to do something equally simple to be able to download any software that works on linux, or better
good design is good usability


**good design is good usability**

in win10, every time you install or update a software/app, you do not have to put in a pw every single time
you also do not need to have a pw on startup/login

ilinux has to be equal or better
good design is good usability


**good design is good internals**

auto-clean junk -

in win10, when software is uninstalled, it leaves behind 'program start' files and empty folders that all should've been removed
there is a setting to auto-delete the 'downloads' folders after 30 days

this is not a problem in chromeos

linux has to do all these things equal or better
good design is good internals


=== the above are necessary, the following are optional ===

**good design is good visual design**

linux should be able to have different 'desktop background/wallpaper' on different 'desktops/virtual desktops'


=== other notes: ===

* security doesn't make anything better, but it can prevent bad things which occurs .0001% of the time, and is focused on corporations
* viruses are commonly in emails but gmail takes care of that so no worries

interpretation notes:

* if a post does not directly/plainly say that a dual-boot ever been done, then we do not assume that they have ever installed a dual-boot

being helpful notes:

* i have a lot more urgent & important things to take care of
* if this is more trouble than it's worth, please just let me know
* maybe i'll post/ask later this year or next year


=== physical requirements: ===

* has to be able to be installed via a <2gb usb
* or live cd (if things are saved, and it doesnt slow down performance)

* computer for the dual-boot: Dell Inspiron 17R-N7110

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good design is about the positives for the common actions that are done. if it's a niche thing, or infrequent, it's likely isn't important

im looking for an os that has better design than win10
the #1 thing im looking for is good design

good design makes things better. bad design hurts you.


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i was looking at http://www.ocsmag.com/2018/02/16/plasma ... with-bugs/

so it may me wonder

Have you tried any distros yet?
If not I'd suggest you start by picking a few of the more popular options (according to the watch list on distrowatch.com) and try them out. Most should provide some sort of live CD/USB option where you can try it out before committing it to your hard drive. Trying it out you can figure out for yourself that most of your bullet points are provided/covered.

A few notes from reviewing your list:
* On downloading software: Much like Windows has the Windows Store, Linux distros have Software Repositories from which you will install most of your software (selection available depending on the distro selected; stick with some of the big names and they should cover most things you will need). The process is generally: Open software browser app (e.g. Discover, Software Center, Synaptic, or whatever app the Distro provides for this), search for the app you want, select install, hit apply. As for installing things not in those repos, the situation has historically been to download the source and compile+install yourself (which is quite the hassle as you have to first install the build tools plus the dependencies needed to build it). However, that situation is rapidly changing with the advent of Snaps, AppImage and Flatpack providing the ability for app developers to provide that kind of download+install experience in a cross-distro fashion.

* On auto-cleaning of junk: Yes, when you uninstall something it should remove anything associated with it including folders, application entries, etc. As for removing of items from the Download folder over time, I don't use any such things myself but I do know there are junk cleaner tools available which you can use to clean up unused packages and and download files. (also, files downloaded as part of installing and updating apps on your system do get cleaned up automatically by the distro's packaging system)

* On choosing wallpapers per desktop: in KDE this functionality is provided by Activities (Virtual Desktops serving to extend the space available in each Activity).

* On the point of Security (including the need to enter your password for things like software updates and app (un)installs): Security is about mitigating risk. You might imagine the risk is on the order of one-in-a-million or that you are not a very likely/juicy target. However, threats are out there and it doesn't hurt to be cautious (it just may feel inconvenient at times). But, if you are fine with the risk, there are ways that you can grant yourself admin authority on your home computer so that you don't have to enter your (or the admin's) password every time.